The Opentrons API is a simple framework designed to make writing automated biology lab protocols easy.

We’ve designed it in a way we hope is accessible to anyone with basic computer and wetlab skills. As a bench scientist, you should be able to code your automated protocols in a way that reads like a lab notebook.

The design goal of the Opentrons API is to make code readable and easy to understand. For example, below is a short set of instruction to transfer from well 'A1' to well 'B1' that even a computer could understand:

Use the Opentrons API's containers and instruments
Add a 96 well plate, and place it in slot 'B1'
Add a 200uL tip rack, and place it in slot 'A1'
Add a 200uL pipette to axis 'b', and tell it to use that tip rack
Transfer 100uL from the plate's 'A1' well to it's 'A2' well

If we were to rewrite this with the Opentrons API, it would look like the following:

And finally, the most fun section, the actual protocol commands! The most common commands are transfer(), aspirate(), dispense(), pick_up_tip(), drop_tip(), and much more.

This section can tend to get long, relative to the complexity of your protocol. However, with a better understanding of Python you can learn to compress and simplify even the most complex-seeming protocols.